Dec 29, 2009

I swear black women have to be the most analyzed group on the planet. Everyone wants to do a show/article on why Black sistas are single. From Yale to MSNBC and now ABC is throwing their hat into the ring. Everyone wants to know what is the reason behind 42% of black women never being married. Because heaven forbids if these women never get married then obviously their lives don't mean anything...SMDH!!! There is always this research talking about why black women are not getting married but no one ever wants to dig deeper into the problem. We only want to talk about brothers being incarerated or black women standards being too high, but no one really wants to get to the root of the problem. We only want to scratch the surface because the surface is safer. No one wants to discuss why our men are more likely to go to prison than to go to college. No one wants to applaud sistas for actually have standards. No one wants to discuss why black men and women are perceiving each other to be the enemy.

We are so hell bent on pointing fingers that the chances of us coming to a solution is slim to none. Instead of focusing on why 42% have never married how about we do a show on the 58% that did get married and see what they think? GLASS HALF FULL PEOPLE!!!!

Dec 28, 2009

After five seasons, two Daytime Emmy awards and too many girl-power episodes to count, Tyra Banks is announcing the end of The Tyra Show.

"This will be the last season of The Tyra Show," Banks tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past 5 years."

Wrapping at the end of its fifth season in the spring of 2010, it will be lights out for the show that brought viewers memorable weave-exposing, cellulite-revealing and tear-jerking moments.

Banks will focus on the launch of Bankable Studios, a N.Y.-based film production company currently reviewing possible projects. Sticking to her mission, Banks aims to bring "positive images of women to the big screen," says an industry insider.

"My next huge steps will allow me to reach more women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are," Banks says.

Adds the insider: "Tyra is sad because she'll be missing so much of the daily connection to her viewers, but excited at the same time to be taking on a new challenge."

With encouragement from filmmaker Tyler Perry and longtime mentor Oprah Winfrey, Banks is "redefining beauty for women in film," adds the source. "With Oprah's big announcement this year, I think that gave Tyra the confidence to get out there and follow her longtime dream of film producing." source

I guess this leaves the door wide open for Wendy Williams and Ellen. I think people really underestimate what Oprah has been able to achieve with her daytime television show. The mere fact that she was able to last for 25 years is a feat in itself. She has seen the coming and going of many shows but somehow she managed to survive. I look forward to Tyra's next endeavors. She's a very savvy sista so I'm sure she has a lot planned and a lot in store.

I just want to apologize for posting being so scarce. It is the holidays and I am enjoying it in Georgia with my family. If I have a chance I promise to post, but if not please believe I will be back in full force in the new year. Please enjoy this holiday season and thanks for your continued support.

Dec 23, 2009

Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti's cities into slavery as unpaid household servants, far more than previously thought, a report said Tuesday.

The Pan American Development Foundation's report also said some of those children — mostly young girls — suffer sexual, psychological and physical abuse while toiling in extreme hardship.

The report recommends Haiti's government and international donors focus efforts on educating the poor and expanding social services such as shelters for girls, who make up an estimated two-thirds of the child servant population.

Young servants are known as "restavek" — Haitian Creole for "stays with" — and their plight is both widely known and a source of great shame in the Caribbean nation that was founded by a slave revolt more than 200 years ago.

Researchers said the practice is so common that almost half of 257 children interviewed in the sprawling Port-au-Prince shantytown of Cite Soleil were household slaves.

Most are sent by parents who cannot afford to care for them to families just slightly better off. Researchers found 11 percent of families that have a restavek have sent their own children into domestic servitude elsewhere.

Despite growing attention to the problem, researchers said their sources were unaware of any prosecutions of cases involving trafficking children or using them as unpaid servants in this deeply poor nation of more than 9 million people.

Glenn Smucker, one of the report's authors and a cultural anthropologist known for extensive work on Haiti, said he believes the number of restavek children is increasing proportionally with the population of Port-au-Prince as more migrants flee rural poverty to live in the capital.

The researchers surveyed more than 1,400 random households in five Haitian urban areas in late 2007 and early 2008, with funding help from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The most widely used previous number for restaveks came from a 2002 UNICEF survey, which estimated there were 172,000.

The new report used a broader counting system to include children related to household owners but still living in servitude, such as nieces or cousins, and as well as "boarders" living temporarily with another family but are still forced to provide labor.

"Most people working with restavek children ... think that these numbers, both ours and UNICEF's, are actually underestimating the problem," said Herve Razafimbahini, the Pan American Development Foundation's program director in Haiti.

He called for Haitian officials to conduct a national survey to analyze the full scope of the problem, including in rural areas.

Officials with the Ministry of Social Affairs could not be reached for comment Tuesday. source

A woman accused of telling the Secret Service she would "blow away" Michelle Obama was in federal custody Tuesday as the Obama family planned to travel to Hawaii.

Kristy Lee Roshia, 35, was charged with threatening a family member of the president and assaulting a federal agent after being arrested Saturday less than two miles from the Kailua home where the Obama family planned to stay during a holiday visit later this week.

Roshia called the Secret Service's Boston office last month and told a receptionist, "I will kill Michelle Obama" and "I will kill Marines," according to a Secret Service affidavit.

During the same call, she said she would "blow away" Michelle Obama, the document states.

A message left at the federal public defender's office in Honolulu was not immediately returned.

Roshia has a history of leaving rambling messages and sending poems, love letters and photographs of herself to the Secret Service, according to the affidavit.

As early as 2004, she told the agency that "although her mission is to assassinate the president, she has no desire to hurt him," the document states.

The affidavit said Roshia acknowledged to Secret Service agents before her arrest that she had threatened Michelle Obama.

It also says Roshia said she knew where Obama would be staying in Hawaii, and the reason she had traveled to Hawaii in September was "to protect Obama."

Roshia was also charged with lunging at a Secret Service agent, striking him in the arms and face during her arrest.

She was being held without bail pending a Wednesday detention hearing. source

MARIAN ANDERSON AWARD TO HONOR BILL COSBYAward Gala with The Philadelphia Orchestra will take place on April 6, 2010

Philadelphia, PA–December 22, 2009–Mayor Michael Nutter announced today that Bill Cosby, Ed.D.–comedian and educator–will be the next recipient of the Marian Anderson Award. Mr. Cosby will accept the Award at a Gala Concert produced in partnership with The Philadelphia Orchestra, which will take place on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

In making the announcement, Mayor Nutter noted, "Since 1998 the Marian Anderson Award has honored individuals who have helped change society through their art and the courage of the convictions. While all of the previous honorees have had enormous impact on our culture, Bill Cosby is the first life-long Philadelphian to be honored. His connections to Philadelphia are deep and his range of achievement is unparalleled. We are enormously proud of his many achievements and are delighted that the Marian Anderson Award has chosen Bill Cosby to honor."

In commenting on his agreement to accept the Marian Anderson Award, Bill Cosby stated that, "I am humbled. The clarity of viewing racism from Marian Anderson's DAR rejection proves that racism is a waste of time, precious time." Perhaps Mr. Cosby's greatest contribution to American entertainment and culture is The Cosby Show, a television series about a close-knit, upper class black family. Cosby said his intent was to portray an American family. Time Time magazine called the show "an encouraging sign of maturity in matters of race."The Cosby Show dominated the No. 1 spot for years, earning broad critical praise. Life magazine described the program as "a gentle, whimsical, warmhearted" show whose "delicious ordinariness of its pleasures and tribulations has given millions a fresh, laughter-splashed perspective on their own domestic lives."

For his philanthropic efforts and positive influence as a performer and author, Bill Cosby was honored with a 1998 Kennedy Center Honors Award. In 2002 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, and in 2009 he was the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Created in 1998, the Award is named for the great Philadelphian and American singer Marian Anderson, and is produced and administered under the direction of J. Patrick Moran. Since its inception, the Award program has provided more than $500,000 in free public programs, residencies, commissions, and grants to young artists.

This year's Gala Performance, the details of which will be announced in January, will be preceded by the annual black-tie Gala Dinner, also at the Kimmel Center, which is a fundraiser for the Marian Anderson Award and its grant programs that support young artists. Those interested in attending the Gala Dinner, which includes a premium ticket to the Gala Performance, can call the Marian Anderson Award office at 215-893-1837 to receive an invitation. Single tickets for the Gala Performance are available now by calling Ticket Philadelphia at 215-893-1999 or by visiting The Philadelphia Orchestra's website at www.philorch.org. source

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally, which was announced Tuesday.

Clearly, Williams' most infamous on-court episode — a tirade directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September — didn't hurt her standing in the eyes of the voters.

"People realize that I'm a great player, and one moment doesn't define a person's career," Williams told the AP. "And I was right, for the most part: It wasn't right the way I reacted — I never said it was — but I was right about the call."

She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, "got a lot more people excited about tennis."

The 28-year-old American tends to do that, thanks to her powerful, athletic play and her outgoing personality.

"We can attribute the strength and the growth of women's tennis a great deal to her," WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview. "She is a superstar."

Williams, who is based in Florida, also won the AP award in 2002, a seven-year gap that is the longest between AP Female Athlete of the Year honors since golf's Patty Berg won in 1943 and 1955.

"I'm just happy and blessed to even be playing seven

years later. All this is a bonus, really," Williams said. "In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009, I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again."

Runner-up in the AP voting was Zenyatta, who capped a 14-0 career by becoming the first female horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic.

"If you want me to line up all the black actors, for example, who support me and put them on one side of the room and a couple who are grumbling on the other, I'm happy to have that," Obama said.

Several black legislators say Obama must do more for recession-stricken minorities.

Some 15.6% of blacks nationwide are out of work, compared with the overall 10% unemployment rate.

"The only thing I cannot do is, by law, I cannot pass laws that say 'I'm just helping black folks.' I'm the President of the entire United States," Obama said. "What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need." source

One of the most vocal critics of the President has been Tavis smiley, but lately there have been other prominent voices standing up to speak out. Thosepeople are actor/humanitarian Danny Glover as well as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Danny Glover, Jesse Jackson, and other activists talk to Lloyd Grove about disappointment in the African-American community with the president's first year.

Danny Glover heaved a sigh when I asked him recently what he thought of President Obama's performance so far.

It wasn't a sigh of relief.

"I think the Obama administration has followed the same playbook, to a large extent, almost verbatim, as the Bush administration. I don't see anything different," the activist movie actor said of Obama's policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. "On the domestic side, look here: What's so clear is that this country from the outset is projecting the interests of wealth and property. Look at the bailout of Wall Street. Why not the bailout of Main Street?"

"He may be just a different face, and that face may happen to be black—and if it were Hillary Clinton, it would happen to be a woman," says Danny Glover. "But what choices do they have within the structure?"

More in sorrow than in anger, Glover went on: "What choice does he have—in four years, eight years? Let's just call a spade a spade. Really. There are no choices out there. He may be just a different face, and that face may happen to be black—and if it were Hillary Clinton, it would happen to be a woman—but what choices do they have within the structure?"

lover is among a growing chorus of African-American opinion leaders who are publicly and privately expressing varying degrees of resignation, disappointment, and outright anger concerning a presidency on which so many hopes have ridden. Who can forget the iconic image of the tear-streaked Rev. Jesse Jackson—who in 1984 and 1988 waged formidable campaigns of his own for the Democratic presidential nomination—as he stood overcome with emotion amid the jubilant crowd at Chicago's Grant Park as Obama gave his victory speech? source

The Cincinnati Bengals are traveling to Louisiana to say final farewells to late teammate Chris Henry.

A two-hour public viewing Tuesday will be followed immediately by the funeral service for Henry. He died last week from massive head injuries a day after he fell out of the back of a pickup truck in North Carolina. Police say Henry was having a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

The Bengals chartered an early morning flight so coaches, players and front-office employees could attend the services at the Alario Sports Complex outside New Orleans. The 26-year-old Henry was from nearby Belle Chasse (CHAYS), La.

The man who inspired the title character in the Oscar-winning movie "Rain Man" has died.

Kim Peek was 58. His father, Fran, says Peek had a major heart attack Saturday morning and was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.

Peek was a savant with a remarkable memory and inspired writer Barry Morrow when he wrote "Rain Man," the 1988 movie that won four Academy Awards.

Fran Peek said his son met Morrow at a convention in the early 1980s and the writer was taken with Peek's knack for retaining everything he heard. Morrow wrote the script, and the movie went on to win Oscars for best film and best actor for Dustin Hoffman, whose repetitive rants about being an excellent driver and the "People's Court" about to start were a hit with moviegoers.

Although the character was technically fictional, Fran Peek said his son was every bit as amazing as Hoffman's portrayal of him. And Kim's true character showed when he toured the world, helping dispel misconceptions about mental disabilities.

"It was just unbelievable, all the things that he knew," Fran Peek said Monday. "He traveled 5,500 miles short of 3 million air miles and talked to nearly 60 million people — half have been students."

In his later years, Peek was classified as a "mega-savant" who was a genius in about 15 different subjects, from history and literature and geography to numbers, sports, music and dates. But his motor skills were limited; he couldn't perform some simple tasks like dressing himself.

NASA scientists had been studying Peek, hoping that technology used to study the effects of space travel on the brain would help explain his mental capabilities.

Fran Peek says the funeral will be next Tuesday in Taylorsville. Details were pending. source

History has been made in Gadsden County Florida. On November 9, 2009 Governor Charlie Crist confirmed his appointment of Attorney Kathy Garner to the bench as Gadsden County Court Judge. Ms. Garner is the first African-American, and the first woman to become judge in Florida's only predominately African American County.

The historic investiture service will be held on December 18, 2009 at 2:00p.m. at the Gadsden County Courthouse, 10 East Jefferson St. Quincy, Fl. 32351, immediately followed by a community celebration at the Quincy National Guard Amory, 2049 Pat Thomas Parkway Quincy, Fl. 32351.

This Historic appointment did not come without its share of controversy. Less than 24 hours after Governor Crist initially appointed Ms. Garner, he issued a press release stating that he was placing a hold on her appointment at the recommendation of his staff due to a personal financial question of Ms. Garner that needed to be investigated. It was revealed that the personal financial question was that Garner had paid her commercial property taxes late.

Needless to say, the Gadsden County Community and many Garner supporters were outraged by an issue they felt was not germane to the qualifications of being a judge. The Governor's office was flooded with calls from citizens of Florida, Georgia, and as far as South Carolina in support of Ms. Garner's appointment. Gadsden County Commissioners and the Gadsden County Community held a rally in Gadsden County where they vehemently voiced their support of Kathy Garner to the media despite this property tax issue. Many of Ms. Garner's constituents wrote letters on her behalf, and pledged their support to remain in the fray until Governor Crist upheld this historic appointment.

Less than two weeks after placing a hold on her appointment, Governor Crist called Ms. Garner and informed her that he was going to uphold her appointment. On November 9, 2009, the Governor issued a press release stating, "As a lifelong resident of Gadsden County, Kathy brings to the bench, a thorough understanding of the community she will serve. With more that a decade of experience as an investigator and a child advocate, she has demonstrated the appropriate balance between compassion and justice needed by a judge."

Ms. Garner is proud to follow in the footsteps of her well respected father, the late Alfred Garner, who served as Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Quincy. Mr. Garner was also a City of Quincy Recreation Coach for 20 years. Ms. Garner is eager to begin her career on the bench in which she looks forward to fairly, equitably and efficiently administering justice for all.

The community celebration is sure to be the quintessential bittersweet occasion for Attorney Garner and her brother, Homer Garner. The National Guard Amory is the same place that their beloved mother, Betty Garner, whose kind heart earned her the name "Community Mama", was laid to rest in July of this year. source

***Editor's Note***

After only hearing bad news about Quincy (the high HIV rate etc.) it's finally nice to report something positive about the town right outside of Tallahassee. I remember the days when we use to head towards Quincy for the Kappa Luau every year while I was in school. Boy, those were the days. T-pain was still a member of the Nappy Headz. Man, I'm going to have to make it to homecoming next year. I miss my school.

Tom Joyner of the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show is scheduled to interview President Barack Obama this morning about a wide range of issues impacting black America.

The interview begins at 8:35 a.m. ET/7:35 a.m. CT and will also be available – along with a transcript – at BlackAmericaWeb.com immediately afterward.

"Throughout the year, Joyner's radio show and Web site have maintained extensive coverage of every major issue facing the black community and have followed the movements of President Obama very carefully," read a press release. "Daily commentary from senior analyst Roland Martin, BlackAmericaWeb.com morning headlines from co-host Sybil Wilkes, special news contributions from Jacque Reid and political and social commentary from Jeff Johnson, Stephanie Robinson, DL Hughley and Sheryl Underwood are all a part of the team to ensure that the Tom Joyner Morning Show keeps black America involved and informed."

On Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 18, Joyner and MSNBC's Chris Matthews will co-host "Hope and Fear in Obama's America," a two-hour special on race relations from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. on MSNBC.

The special, taped live from Texas Southern University in Houston, will be an extended discussion surrounding race and post-racial identity in America and touch on some of the issues mentioned in the interview.source

Dec 21, 2009

Ann Nixon Cooper, the 107-year-old Atlanta woman whose name President Barack Obama invoked when he gave his historic election speech last year, died Monday afternoon around 3:30 p.m.

Then President-elect Obama called Cooper an example of "the heartbreak and the hope," noting that she'd lived long enough to remember when African-Americans weren't able to vote and to finally be able to vote for and elect the country's first black president.

Atlanta City Councilman Ivory Young, whose district includes Cooper's Hunter Hills home, said that he met her when running for office in 2001 and he found her stories about Atlanta history mesmerizing.

"I knocked on her door, and she answered the door and invited me in and I was at her house the entire afternoon," Young said. "Her words if you spent any time with her could have a profound impact on you. She had you glued. She could really bring a story to life."

Young said that Cooper invited him when he was campaigning during this last election, too. He said from the first time he met her, she made clear what she expected from her elected representatives and what she expected City Hall to do for Atlanta. "I really feel like I lost a friend."

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young recounted Cooper's legendary vibrancy, noting that she had taught senior citizens aerobics until she was 100. He told how he danced with her at her 104th birthday party, chuckling at the memory of how she outperformed him. "When I was tired, she stayed out on the floor and did the electric slide," the former ambassador to the United Nations said. "I never saw her angry with anybody, and she lived a loving life."

Cooper had not been up to par since she fell and broke her hip about a year ago, Andrew Young said. He had hoped that she would make her 108th birthday on Jan. 9, but he thought that Cooper was content to pass on.

With the economic times being as hard as it is, there are a lot of families that are struggling to make ends meet. I came across an organization called Safe Families for Children and I thought I would share a little information about them. I realize that a lot of people are not looking for a handout; they just need some help. So whatever I can do to provide that help I'm going to do my best. Here's what I found:

Safe Families for Children is a ministry of LYDIA Home Association, a Chicago-based Christian social service organization founded in 1916. LYDIA launched Safe Families in 2002 with just a few volunteers, but the ministry has since grown to a network of 500 volunteer families serving as many as 300 families in need each year.

Safe Families is the only program of its kind and magnitude in the country, and it is making a tangible difference in people's lives. In 2008, Safe Families expanded its services to the Spanish-speaking community by adding a Spanish-speaking caseworker to its staff. The need for Safe Families within the Spanish-speaking community is so great that it is a challenge to meet client demand.

With more than 85 years of experience in serving at-risk children and families, LYDIA is uniquely qualified to provide a program such as Safe Families. Over the years LYDIA, which was founded as an orphanage, has become a successful alternative to state-run foster care and family assistance agencies. It reaches people in diverse communities with a continuum of clinical and supportive services, from foster care to counseling, residential treatment to abstinence education. For more information about LYDIA, please visit our website at www.lydiahome.org

1. How long will the child stay with me? The average length of stay is about six weeks, but placements usually last from three days to three months. Our staff makes every effort at the time of placement to estimate the length of stay. Factors include the severity of the family's crisis, the willingness and ability of the biological parent to address the issues involved in the crisis, among others.

2. Who can serve as Safe Families volunteers? Safe Families volunteers include singles, married couples with children of any age and empty nesters, all of whom simply decided to make room in their hearts and homes for children in need.

3. What type of contact will I have with the biological parent? Biological parents maintain full custody of their child, and are encouraged to participate in decisions regarding their child's care while they address whatever issues led to the instability in their lives.

Our aim is to facilitate a partnership relationship between volunteers and the biological parent(s), in which your family becomes a kind of "extended family" for the family in crisis. We encourage you to maintain a relationship with the family even after the placement ends, if possible.

4. How can I apply to be a Safe Families volunteer? Prospective Safe Family volunteers can get the process started by downloading our application packet. Questions? Contact your local Safe Families office by phone or email. Click here for contact information.

I think this is a question that a lot of people want an answer to. Is 'Sex Addiction' real? And if so, what is the differences between a person having 'Sex Addiction' and just having philandering ways? With the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods, some people have come out and diagnosed him as being a sex addict. I mean why else would a person of his status risk everything he worked so hard for on a roll on the 'greens' with every Barbie doll look alike he could find. Surely it must be sex addiction and not his ginormous (if that's a word) ego that makes him think he is the 'King of the World' and everybody else is nothing more than his loyal subjects. So again, I want to know, "Is Sex Addiction real?"

I found an article at Salon.com that I think gets the converation started ont his issue:

After surrendering their vibrators and porno DVDs, the stars of VH1's "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew" have chain-smoked their way through three long, sexless weeks of treatment. The motley crew of pseudo-celebrities -- including a porn star, a beauty queen and an obscure rock musician -- have stripped their emotions bare in nationally broadcast group therapy, tearfully sharing stories of past abuse, anonymous sex, hours upon hours of smut surfing and, above all else, consuming shame. But here's a question that the show, which ended its first season Sunday night, never bothered to ask: Are these people really addicts?

Since the term was coined in 1983, "sex addiction" has become so embroidered in our self-help vocabulary that most of us stopped questioning it. The term gets bandied about whenever Bill Clinton logs extracurricular time with an intern or Eliot Spitzer gets caught having sex in his socks or David Duchovny separates from his wife. Recently "Sex Rehab" host Dr. Drew Pinsky madeheadlines by suggesting that Tiger Woods has a sex addiction. It's become the go-to defense for extramarital affairs (I'm not an asshole; I'm an addict!) and been sold to "Oprah" viewers eager to diagnose their porn-loving husbands as both addicts and assholes.

Patrick Carnes, the leading expert in sex addiction, defines it as "any sexually related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment." But here's the tricky part: What's the difference between the symptom of a compulsive disease and a disease itself? Repeatedly lathering up in the sink is a sign of OCD. We don't call those people hand-washing addicts, now, do we? Unlike most addictive substances, sex can't be smoked, snorted or mainlined. The term isn't recognized in the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the bible of therapists everywhere (although along with other controversial diagnoses, like those relating to gender identity, sex addiction is being debated for a new version). But for many sex educators and sex-positive experts, hearing the term spoken about so casually, so frequently, is nothing short of maddening.

He put a ring on it over 29 years ago, but now it looks like she is taking the ring off. Tina Knowles, mother of superstar Beyonce Knowles, filed for divorce from her husband of 29 years, Matthew Knowles. Here is what is being reported:

Close friends of Beyonce's parents, Tina and Matthew Knowles, know the couple haven't been so crazy in love for quite some time.

Though deeply involved in their superstar daughter's career and related businesses, the Knowleses ''have long gone their own way and haven't had what I'd call a real marriage in a number of years,'' a longtime friend of Matthew Knowles told me Sunday -- not surprised ''in the least'' by Tina Knowles' divorce filing Nov. 11, which just surfaced over the weekend. The couple have been married since 1980.

Personally, I witnessed a brief but pretty snarky exchange between the senior Knowles -- when Beyonce was in town for a Macy's promotion for one of her fragrance launches a couple of years ago. When Matthew Knowles approached his wife and whispered something in her ear, Tina snapped, ''Oh, shut up! That's totally stupid,'' turned on her heel and walked off in a huff.

• Though the couple have released a statement indicating the divorce filing was being handled amicably, it may be directly connected to the paternity suit filed in October in Los Angeles against Matthew Knowles by actress Alexsandra Wright -- claiming Knowles is the father of her unborn child.

That said, the Knowles' statement stressed, ''If anyone is expecting an ugly, messy fight, they will be sadly disappointed.''

Tina Knowles' main professional involvement in Beyonce's life has been her management of their designer clothing company, the House of Dereon.

Matthew Knowles, who managed Beyonce during her Destiny's Child years, remains a frequent producer of her many ongoing solo projects, though both Beyonce and her younger sister, singer Solange Knowles, have commented occasionally about having a bumpy relationship with their father.

Beyonce, in particular, was said to be outraged at her father after the paternity suit filing by Wright in October. source

In related news, the news of divorce appears to be hitting the Knowles sisters pretty hard:

Sisters Beyonce and Solange Knowles are said to be devastated by the divorce of their parents Tina and Mathew Knowles following 29 years of marriage.

"It's a rough time for the family -- especially over the holidays," Usmagazine.com quotes of a source close to the family. "The kids are sad, but it's been unraveling for some time."

News broke Friday that Tina Knowles filed the papers on Nov. 11 in Houston. While infidelity reports have surfaced, the source claims the divorce "really wasn't about affairs." source

A federal court judge sentenced a Florida man to three years in prison on Friday for threatening to kill President Barack Obama in an email that said "The blood of Obama will run down the streets."

Nathan Wine, 21, admitted to the judge in Tampa, Florida, in August that he sent the threatening email to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command on November 5, 2008, the day after Obama won the presidential election.

Wine, who had faced up to five years in prison, acknowledged in his guilty plea that he had meant the email as a death threat, although he did not reveal a motive.

In his poorly spelled email message, Wine said he would "not mind going behind bars for being a trigger man on this tyrant."

"I will not rest until this tyrant of America is gunned down," he said. "The blood of Obama will run down the streets of D.C."

Wine was indicted in the federal case in January after surrendering to police on a local warrant charging him with stealing a gun.

His sentence on Friday was announced in a statement from A. Brian Albritton, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. source

Dec 20, 2009

Can you say WHOA!!!! This is the speech that every progressive and liberal has been begging for the Democrats to make. Finally someone in the Democratic party besides Congressman Grayson has the spine to call the Republicans out on their lies and the real reason why they don't want healthcare to pass. Let me find my checkbook so I can send the senator from Rhode Island some money.

32 year old actress Brittany Murphy best known for her roles in movies Clueless, Mean Girls, and Eight Mile died today at Cedars Sinai hospital of cardiac arrest (the same thing that killed Michael Jackson). No details have come out explaining how a 32 year old woman's heart completely stops. My heart goes out to her family. I actually enjoyed all of her movies. I hate to see such a young talented person taken from this world

Before we retire the word 'hater' I thought I would share a definition of the word by Dr. Maya Angelou. I think she summed it up better than anyone else I know, but then again what else did I expect it is Dr. Angelou I'm talking about.

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall.

They are very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever good enough!

When you make your mark, you will always attract some haters...

That's why you have to be careful with whom you share your blessings and your dreams, because some folk can't handle seeing you blessed...

It's dangerous to be like somebody else... If God wanted you to be like somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they have... The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story... If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!

We've all got some haters among us!

Some people envy you because you can: a) Have a relationship with God b) Light up a room when you walk in c) Start your own business d) Tell a man / woman to hit the curb (if he / she isn't about the right thing) e) Raise your children without both parent being in the home

Haters can't stand to see you happy. Haters will never want to see you succeed.

Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be on our side.

How do you handle your undercover haters?

You can handle these haters by:

1. Knowing who you are & who your true friends are (VERY IMPORTANT!!) 2. Having a purpose to your life: Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and still be unfulfilled. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be. Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you. 3. By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and not human manipulation.

Fulfill your dreams! You only have one life to live...when its your time to leave this earth, you 'want' to be able to say, 'I've lived my life and fulfilled 'my' dreams,... Now I'm ready to go HOME!

When God gives you favor, you can tell your haters, 'Don't look at me...Look at Who is in charge of me...'

Award winning author and speaker Hasani Pettiford talks to Savvy Talk Radio about his new book 'Why We Hate Black Women.' For over a decade Mr. Pettiford has been a recognized authority on human sexuality, interpersonal relationships and personal growth and development.

'Why We Hate Black Women' is a book that takes a critical look at the historical and contemporary lives of Black women in order to answer one question: Why are so many black women abused, abandoned, betrayed, devalued and hated by both their white and black counterparts? This quest for truth opens up a cultural Pandora's Box of issues that date back over 400 years.

Whether discussing corporate women, college women, church women or economically challenged women, their stories are the same. Whether they've reached the heights of an Oprah Winfrey or have struggled to make ends meet, there is one chord that binds them all together – the stigma of what it means to be black and female in America.

Savvy Talk Radio w/ The Savvy Sista is a talk radio show that discusses the hottest issues going on in the community. Whether it's topics covering relationships, politics, economics, etc, it will be covered on Savvy Talk Radio. The show takes place every Sunday from 6-8 pm EST. You may listen to the live show by calling 718-664-6383. If you wish to ask a question or make a comment during the show just press "1" on your phone's keypad. You can also listen to the show on the internet by going to www.blogtalkradio.com/thesavvysista and participate in the live chat room.

Savvy Talk Radio is a subsidiary of The Savvy Sista blog (www.the-savvy-sista.com). Please check it out everyday to find out the latest that is going on.

It looks like 2009 is going to be remembered as the year part of my childhood died. First my Uncle Michael passes then Michael Jackson and now Alaina Reed Hall who played a major part in my childhoos from her role on 227 and Sesame Street.

Actress Alaina Reed Hall-Tamini, best known for her roles as Rose on 227 and Olivia on Sesame Street, passed away on December 17, 2009. Details have not been released about her death but the cause is believed to be cancer.

Dec 18, 2009

Is this the season of Chester Chester the Child Molester? What is going on?

America's Best Dance Crew judge Shane Sparks has been arrested in Los Angeles and charged with 8 counts of child molestation, TMZ is reporting. The Los Angeles Police Department took Sparks into custody at 8 am PT Friday morning.

According to the criminal complaint, the alleged incidents began occurring in 1994 and involve one victim. Sparks has been charged for alleged molestation of an underage girl. These crimes are considered felonies.

The complaint accuses Sparks of engaging in acts "with the intent of arousing, appealing to, and gratifying the lust, passions, and sexual desires of the defendant, who was at least 10 years older than [the victim]."

CNN recently had a discussion about whether or not the 'Prosperity' teachings of some megachurches led to the economic downturn we are currently facing. I did a little research and I came across an article called 'Prosperity gospel faces challenge: frugal savers' which talks about the same thing.

If you don't wish to read the entire article here is a good summary that was posted by ReligionNewsBlog:

For 40 years, the Rev. Charles Cowan has been preaching that God wants Christians to prosper. So he's not about to change the message, no matter how bad the economy looks.

That includes telling his followers that if they are faithful in giving to the church, God will reward them financially.

We want to be sure that we are taking care of honoring God, because his Word tells us that if we honor him, he will honor us," said Cowan, pastor of nondenominational Faith is the Victory Church in Nashville.

Despite the economic downturn, the prosperity gospel remains alive and well. Pastors like Cowan or televangelists like the Rev. Creflo Dollar and the Rev. Kenneth Copeland continue to promise that financial blessings will follow donations to their ministries.

But it faces a challenge from a new austerity gospel, which says God blesses those who work hard, save their money and pay off their debts.

Believing in God's provision is common to most Christians. What makes the prosperity gospel unique is the idea that God's blessings can be triggered by donations known as seeds of faith.

That concept was taught by Cowan's mentor, the late Rev. Kenneth Erwin Hagin, along with Hagin's colleague, the Rev. Oral Roberts, two grandfathers of the prosperity gospel.

The idea works this way: A believer sows a financial seed of faith, giving it to a church or a preacher, and God rewards that seed with a monetary blessing.[...]

The austerity gospel

The opposite of the prosperity gospel is the austerity gospel, promoted by radio host and author Dave Ramsey. In his Financial Peace University program, Ramsey tells people to go back to making money the old-fashioned way — always pay cash, never spend more than you earn and avoid debt like the plague. [...]

Dennis Decker, a missionary with Crown Financial Ministries, said he has seen a growing number of people who are disappointed with the prosperity gospel. Crown is a national group that runs financial classes at churches and offers volunteers who can teach budgeting one-on-one. [...]

Decker says that Crown teaches people to handle money according to biblical principles. It's similar to the approach that Ramsey teaches — especially in using a budget and avoiding debt. Like Ramsey, Crown also teaches the importance of using money in charitable ways to help others. But unlike Ramsey's company, which is for-profit, Crown is a nonprofit Christian group. source

So, I want to know your opinion on this. Do you agree or disagree with the teachings of prosperity contributing to the economic downturn? How do you feel about the Prosperity Gospel vs. The Austerity Gospel?

After suffering 10 years of horrific abuse at the hands of her husband, Rody Alvarado fled her native Guatemala in 1995 and applied for asylum in the U.S.

Last week, in a one-page decision, an immigration judge finally granted her request. It was the culmination of a long personal odyssey for Alvarado and of a thorny legal case that inflamed passions on both sides of the immigration debate.

The Obama administration now says it is crafting regulations to allow entry by other victims of domestic violence who feel they have no choice but to flee their homelands to protect themselves.

If adopted, the regulations would mark the first time the federal government formally recognized domestic abuse victims as qualifying for political asylum.

"The issue is highly complex, and we are moving ahead to develop regulations that will address these cases," said U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler.

No details were disclosed regarding the types of cases that would warrant asylum.

In her first interview since the court decision, Alvarado told The Associated Press she is proud of paving the way for women in similar situations.

"I never lost hope," said Alvarado, a deeply religious woman who left behind two young children when she fled Guatemala. "God never abandoned me."

Domestic violence claims are controversial in the fight for asylum. Currently, nearly all asylum applications allege persecution by a government rather than an individual. In addition, successful asylum applicants have to show they were persecuted because of religion, political beliefs, race, nationality or membership in a particular social group.

Dec 17, 2009

Cincinnati Bengals receiverChris Henry has died, one day after suffering serious injuries upon falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities describe as a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Thursday. Henry was 26.

Henry was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after being found on a residential road "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to police.

Police said a dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.

Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle." They wouldn't identify the woman, and no charges were immediately filed.

"Detectives continue to work diligently on this active investigation," police said in a statement Thursday announcing Henry's death.

Henry is engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry. She also has a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings. A neighbor said Wednesday that the Tonga family owns the home where police say the incident began. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents.

Henry was away from the team after breaking his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve following the game. source

The sex talk is never easy. It's not comfortable for anyone involved - parents are afraid of it, children are mortified by it - which is probably why the talk so often comes after the fact. In the latest study on parent-child talks about sex and sexuality, researchers found that more than 40% of adolescents had had intercourse before talking to their parents about safe sex, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases.

That trend is troublesome, say experts, since teens who talk to their parents about sex are more likely to delay their first sexual encounter and to practice safe sex when they do become sexually active. And, ironically, despite their apparent dread, kids really want to learn about sex from their parents, according to study after study on the topic.

"The results didn't surprise me," says Dr. Mark Schuster, one of the authors of the new study, published in Pediatrics, and chief of general pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston. "But there's something about having actual data that serves as a wake-up call to parents who are not talking to their kids about very important issues until later than we think would be best."

The study involved 141 families enrolled in the Talking Parents, Healthy Teens program, organized by the University of California Los Angeles/Rand Center for Adolescent Health Promotion and overseen by Schuster. Parents and their children, aged 13 to 17, responded to questions about 24 issues regarding sex and sexuality, including how women become pregnant, body changes that occur during puberty, how to use condoms and birth control, as well as issues around homosexuality.

Researchers asked both parents and their children, separately, when they had first discussed each topic, and compared that information to teens' self-reports about their engagement in three specific categories of sexual behavior - hand-holding or kissing; genital touching or oral sex; and intercourse. Families were surveyed four times, once at the beginning of the study, then again at three, six and 12 months.

By the end of the study, more than half of the parents reported that they had not discussed 14 of the 24 sex-related topics by the time their adolescents had begun genital touching or oral sex with partners. Forty-two percent of girls reported that they had not discussed the effectiveness of birth control and 40% admitted they had not talked with their parents about how to refuse sex before engaging in genital touching. Nearly 70% of boys said they had not discussed how to use a condom or other birth-control methods with their parents before having intercourse. Yet only half of the boys' parents, by contrast, said they had not discussed condom use or birth control with their sons.

Fashionista extraordinaire and American Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley is coming to "America's Next Top Model" next season as the fourth judge, joining a panel that includes Nigel Barker, "Miss" Jay Alexander and the show's host and executive producer Tyra Banks.

Talley is the new permanent judge that will be replacing fired judge Paulina Porizkova.

I may actually watch this cycle because I am a fan of Mr. Talley's. Despite that debacle he did when he dressed Jennifer Hudson for the Academy Awards, Mr. Talley is normally spot on when it comes to the world of fashion. Maybe they'll even get Anna Wintour to make a guest appearance now that her BFF is appearing on the show.

America's Next Top Model is currently in New Zealand shooting Cycle 14.

Does this magazine cover offend you? This is the latest issue of Publishers Weekly magazine. This current issue takes a look at the trends in African-America literature. Here is the background story on the picture that was used for the cover:

The image was a photograph taken from a new book from W.W. Norton, Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present by Deborah Willis, a collection of carefully chosen photographs intended to highlight the physical and cultural beauty of African-American life. The image (Pickin', 1999) by Lauren Kelley is a photograph of a black woman whose hair is full of Afro picks, the ubiquitous metal toothed hair-comb of the 1970s, complete with plastic handle in the form of a black power fist. The afro picks are arrayed in the woman's hair to create a kind of giant sculptural Afro hair-do and the woman is leaning slightly forward to give the viewer a better look at the quirky artificially created hair-pick crown. The coverline for the image is: Afro Picks! New Books and Trends in African-American Publishing and it refers to the feature story "African-American Books in Today's Marketplace," a look at the current marketplace for black books written by Felicia Pride. source

I don't know if I am offended by the cover of this magazine or by the simple fact that literature by African Americans is still being classified as African-American Literature instead of just plain ol' Literature. Would we classify literary masterpieces by authors such as Zora Neal Hurston, James Baldwin, August Wilson, Toni Morrison, or Langston Hughes as African American Literature or just great Literature? I feel that a lot of great writers who happen to be African American are not getting their just due because the Powers-That-Be would rather relegate their writings to some subcatergory instead of just admiring it for what it really is. This is the same thing that happens with movies or television shows that feature a predominately African American cast. We are always relegated to a subcatergory as though our stories don't matter and are not universal. Thus art is used as another tool to further divide us rather than bring us together.

Dec 16, 2009

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry is "battling for his life" after falling out of the back of a pickup truck Wednesday during what police described as a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

Henry was found in the road about eight miles north of downtown Charlotte "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Police spokesman Robert Fey said officers were stationed near the 26-year-old Henry's hospital room. He had no information on Henry's condition, but said he was alive.

"We ask everyone to pray for Chris," agent Andy Simms of PlayersRep Sports said in a statement. "We also ask that you respect the privacy of Chris' family. Chris is indeed battling for his life tonight, and our thoughts and prayers (are) with him during this extremely difficult time."

Police said a dispute began at a home just before noon and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee — whom they did not identify by name — was driving away from the residence.

"The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry," the police said in a statement. "At some point while she was driving, Mr. Henry came out of the back of the vehicle."

Henry was found on a residential street about a half mile from the home when police were called to the scene. Fey wouldn't identify the woman and said no charges would be filed Wednesday.

Chris Henry and Loleini Tonga

Henry is engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry. She also has a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings.

Neighbor Karen Clanton said the Tonga family lives in the house where the police say the incident began, adding that she didn't witness it and that "they're nice folks."

No one answered the door Wednesday night at the two-story home in the modest neighborhood. A limousine was parked in the long driveway, and there were tire tracks on the front lawn.

Henry was away from the team after breaking his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve following the game. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents.

Team spokesman Jack Brennan said he had little information other than Henry was badly hurt.

"We are aware he was in an accident and that his injuries are very serious," Brennan said. "We are obviously staying in touch with the situation and are ready to offer whatever assistance we can."

Henry is in the final year of his contract with the Bengals, who let him go after his fifth arrest following the 2007 season. Owner Mike Brown then brought him back a few months later, signing him to a two-year deal. Henry had stayed out of trouble since his return, turning into a feel-good story that got fans rooting for him. source

I am so glad this happened. I swear this is one of my pet peeves and one of the many reasons why I stop going to the club. I can't stand for someone to grab my behind and think it's okay. I absolutely hate this. Note to men: Please Stop Doing This!!!!

DALLAS - Police have arrested a man for pinching a Dallas police officer – in full uniform – inside a local store.

Sgt. Marcia Trejo said she thought Saturday would be just another routine day on the job. She spent all morning patrolling her division in southeast Dallas. Then she stopped by a clothing store to buy Christmas gifts for children in need.

But while she stood in line to pay for her items something unexpected happened.

"To my surprise, I felt a pinch on my backside. I was shocked," she said.

Trejo's demeanor quickly changed.

"I looked at the cashier and she said, 'I didn't.' The lady standing next to me said, 'I didn't.' The man standing next to him said, 'I didn't, and the man standing next to him said, 'I sure didn't.' By that time I noticed this gentleman, he was laughing," Trejo said.

Police said the man was 31-year-old Delmontco Glossen.

"I walked up to him and I said, 'Sir, did you pinch me?' And he just...ha ha ha, and kind of laughed. And I said, 'You pinched me didn't you? I need to see you outside,'" Trejo said. "He said, 'I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just kept looking, I kept watching, and then I just decided I am going to do it.'"

Trejo took Glossen outside and called for backup.

Fellow officers discovered he had outstanding warrants for minor offenses. He was arrested for those warrants and for misdemeanor assault.

Trejo said she wants to teach Glossen a lesson and hopes other women will learn from her experience.

"This will not be tolerated. It should not be tolerated. It should be reported. If you are touched, you know, it's not tolerated. It is an assault," she said.

Glossen also had previous arrests for robbery, drugs and theft of a corpse. He is now out of jail on bond. source